Close to Home
by liatli-1228
Summary: Bright has a plan to get Colin back without hurting Ephram (set pre-Colin's bad atittude and stuff)


Title: Closest to Home ( I know.similar titles, but I couldn't think of another, better title, so.you're stuck with this!) Author: Liatli Rating: PG-13 (curse words!) Disclaimer: not mine.  
  
"Shit."  
  
Bright glared as Ephram and Colin walked away. Running a hand through his hair, Bright spun on his heel and stomped in the general direction of the school parking lot. Mentally, Bright cursed the day Ephram's crazy-assed dad decided to move to his Everwood.  
  
Sure, Colin had been in a coma for a while, but he was still supposed to be Bright's best friend. Now.Bright wasn't so sure how high on Colin's personal ladder he stood. With an intense frown and low rumble that sounded mysteriously like a growl, Bright yanked open his car door.  
  
Tossing and turned, Bright lay awake. He turned on his side to glance at his clock. 11:30. He had gotten into bed around 9. Damn. With a grunt, Bright hoisted himself out of bed and slipped down the stairs and into the kitchen.  
  
Sipping a glass of milk, Bright leaned against the counter and thought. Planned. Dr. Brown may be a brilliant surgeon, Colin may be a brilliant basketball player, Ephram may be a brilliant pianist, but Bright.Bright was a brilliant strategist.  
  
Amy found him that way. His lower back against the counter, feet crossed at the ankles, arms crossed across his chest and a half-full glass of milk in one of his hands. Frowning, Amy waved a hand in front of Bright's unfocused eyes. Startled, Bright jumped a little and dropped his glass. Cursing, Bright bent over to pick up the shards while, rolling her eyes, Amy got a towel to wipe up the milk. When Bright dropped the glass into the garbage and Amy dropped the towel in the laundry room, she turned to Bright, grabbing an apple. She said, biting into the apple,  
  
"What's going on."  
  
Scowling, Bright said defensively,  
  
"Nothing. Why would you think something was going on?"  
  
Amy shook her head slightly, then just looked at Bright. Groaning, Bright conceded.  
  
"Okay! Okay, I'll admit it. It's Colin. And it's Ephram."  
  
Sighing, Amy walked up to Bright, putting a hand on his arm comfortingly.  
  
"I know it'd hard Bright. I don't like to think about it much, either. But.and you can.alert the media or whatever, but I'm finally going to admit it. Colin's.different. He's changed. I know he likes Ephram. And I know why. Do you know why?"  
  
Sighing glumly, Bright shook his head no. Amy continued,  
  
"Then I'll tell you why. Ephram didn't know him before the accident. He didn't know Colin before. So.he has no expectations."  
  
Bright sighed again, then looked down.  
  
"You're right. You're totally right. Well, I'm gonna go to bed."  
  
Amy nodded and Bright walked towards the door. Before he left the kitchen, he paused and turned to look at Amy. A small smile on his face, he said,  
  
"Hey, when'd you get to be so smart?"  
  
Amy smiled softly and Bright left the room.  
  
~~~  
  
"Yo! Abbot!"  
  
Bright turned around when he heard Colin call his name. He waited as Colin caught up with him. A little out of breath, Colin said as they began to walk to the gym,  
  
"Why were you so busy yesterday, man? I must've called, like, 5 times!"  
  
Shrugging, Bright said,  
  
"What for?"  
  
"To go shoot some hoops or something."  
  
Bright couldn't keep the bitterness out of his voice when he said,  
  
"Weren't you hanging out with Ephram?"  
  
"Whoa, man. What's with the tone?"  
  
Bright shrugged, trying to keep it cool.  
  
"Never mind, dude."  
  
They reached the gym, then headed to the locker rooms to change. Ephram was already in there, early, for once. Colin grinned and waved Ephram over. With a hesitant glance at Bright, Ephram walked over to where Colin and Bright were standing.  
  
Ephram tried a smile on Bright, but was met only with an icy glare. Uncomfortable, Ephram turned to Colin. The smile was bright, genuine. Colin's returning grin was lightening-quick. A flash of teeth, a quirk of lips, a peek of the tip of a tongue. Bright caught it, too. And it twisted his stomach into knots. He remembered when that smile had been directed solely at him. When he had been Colin's number 1 priority. Now, it seemed, Ephram was. Shaking his head, Bright walked away from Colin and Ephram, to his locker to change. Alone.  
  
"Bright! Jesus, wait up! What the hell's the matter with you?"  
  
Fuming, Bright whirled around and shouted,  
  
"What the hell's the matter with me? What the hell do you think is the matter with me? Huh?"  
  
Frowning, Colin backed up a step. He said meekly,  
  
"I don't know, Bright! How could I know?"  
  
Rolling his eyes, Bright turned back around, walking off. He muttered, mocking,  
  
"How could you know."  
  
The last thing Colin heard was Bright muttering emphatically, passionately,  
  
"Fuck it!"  
  
The phone rang just as Bright had been about to use it. Frowning, Bright picked up the phone. He said,  
  
"Yeah."  
  
A pause on the other line, then a hesitant, "Bright?"  
  
"What? Wait.Brown?"  
  
"Yeah. I just.wanted to apologize."  
  
Bright scowled, something he'd been doing a lot of lately. So much for strategies.  
  
"For what?"  
  
Ephram sighed,  
  
"For.taking up too much of Colin's attention. I never meant to take him away from you. Honestly. And.I guess what I'm trying to say is that if you really want him back.you can have him."  
  
"He's not an object, Ephram."  
  
"I know that! It was just.I was just saying. Jeez, man, the least you could do is say thanks or something. This is really hard, okay? He's pretty much my only friend here. Damn it! You don't understand!"  
  
Bright winced as Ephram slammed down the phone. Grumbling, Bright shouted to Amy,  
  
"Amy! What's Ephram's number?"  
  
Her eyes wide, Amy walked into Bright's room and said,  
  
"Okay, are you sick or something?"  
  
"No! Now what's his number?"  
  
Shaking, Amy left, calling behind her,  
  
"If you want it, you'll tell me why."  
  
Bright mumbled under his breath,  
  
"Brat."  
  
He heard Amy call out,  
  
"I heard that!"  
  
Dr. Brown called out,  
  
"Ephram! Phone! It's the Abbot boy!"  
  
Ephram called back,  
  
"Tell him I'm not here!"  
  
A few minutes later, while Ephram was on his way to the kitchen, a knock sounded on the Brown's front door. Frowning, Ephram answered it and his jaw nearly dropped to see Bright standing there. After he recovered from the shock, he thought to slam the door in Bright's face, but Bright read the intention in Ephram's eyes and he slammed a palm across the door, forcing it open. Bright pushed past Ephram and into the house. His jaw set, Ephram turned around and said,  
  
"I don't remember inviting you into the house. Now where are your manners? Mommy Mayor would be appalled."  
  
Bright rolled his eyes and said,  
  
"You hung up on me, Brown. No one hangs up on me."  
  
Ephram laughed a harsh, biting laugh. He said sarcastically,  
  
"Real caveman, Bright. I'm sorry that I insulted you, but I'm kind of in the middle of something right now."  
  
"Like what, moping around?"  
  
When Ephram only glared, Bright clenched his jaw and said tightly,  
  
"Look, I came over to talk, okay? Can we just.be civilized for a minute here? Please?"  
  
Ephram sighed and swung the door shut, then led Bright into the den. Sitting down, Bright began,  
  
"Okay, Ephram, I know I'm not exactly nice to you. And what you said on the phone.you're right. I don't understand. I couldn't understand. I've always had friends. It's hard for the new kid-"  
  
"I'm not the new kid anymore, Bright! I've been here for a year! It's because you don't like me that other people don't like me. What you say, goes."  
  
"I'm sorry, Ephram! I'm not asking you to give Colin up! I never did! I may resent you a bit.it's just.before the accident, Colin, Amy, and I.we were like a unit. Then, when Colin went into a coma, we weren't a unit anymore. And it was like part of me was missing. And now that Colin's back.we're supposed to be a unit again. But we're not. He's changed and there's nothing Amy or I can do about it. And, while it probably seems like I'm pissed off at you because of all the time you spend with Colin, I don't want you to have to give that up, because he's allowed to have other friends, you know? It's just that, he's different and I feel like.if he would hang with Amy and I more, then maybe he'd come back. Maybe.he'd be normal again. And, sure, I'm jealous, I mean I used to be Colin's best friend. We were always together. And now.there's you and.we're not always together. I just.I don't adjust well to change, is all."  
  
Ephram's head was hanging, he was silent, and for a moment, Bright thought he was asleep. Then he looked up at Bright and said,  
  
"I'm sorry, Bright. I think.maybe, if we could.maybe Colin would be able to.if we all were together."  
  
Tilting his head to the side, Bright smirked inside. This was great. Make Ephram think he thought of the idea first. Suddenly he smiled,  
  
"Yeah, I think I could learn to tolerate your sarcasm and your ugly face." Ephram laughed,  
  
"Same goes, Abbot," they stood up, "Same goes."  
  
~~~  
  
Amy's eyes widened when she saw Ephram and Bright walk down the hall, immersed in conversation. TOGETHER. They walked right by her, oblivious to the incredulous look on her face. She caught a snippet of their conversation.  
  
Bright: "-day night, 8 o'clock. X2."  
  
Ephram: "Right. We'll pick up Colin, then after the movie-"  
  
~~~  
  
"So, remind me again, why you and Ephram all of the sudden decided to call a truce?"  
  
Bright shrugged, shooting Ephram a glance.  
  
"We just.resolved our differences. Ephram said no more caveman comments, I said no more.whatever comments I usually make."  
  
Colin supplied with a little smile,  
  
"Freak?"  
  
Bright laughed,  
  
"Right."  
  
Ephram rolled his eyes and settled farther into his seat between Colin and Bright. Colin, on his left, was chowing down on a monstrous bucket of popcorn. Bright, on Ephram's right, was slowly eating a bag of skittles while watching the coming attractions before the movie. Sighing, Ephram opened his own bag of skittles.  
  
Bright shifted to the right, leaning on the armrest as the movie began. He got the feeling that Ephram was uncomfortable between him and Colin. Bright shrugged and focused on the movie.  
  
Colin yawned hugely as the pizza tray was taken away. It was around 12:30 and they were chilling at the pizza place. Ephram looked asleep, slumped down in the booth with his head resting against the back and his eyes closed. Bright was playing with the straw in his drink and talking with Colin about various things.  
  
"Gemma's driving me nuts, dude. All this prom talk.she just wont lay off."  
  
Colin snorted,  
  
"Welcome to reality, my friend. You didn't think the perfection of your relationship would last forever, did you?"  
  
just as Bright was about to answer, Ephram mumbled,  
  
"dump her, Bright. Now let's go home."  
  
Colin laughed and stood up,  
  
"Great idea, E."  
  
Bright, Ephram, and Colin went out to the car. Cramming into the car, they drove Colin home first. As Colin got out, he said.  
  
"Goodnight, Bright, E."  
  
Ephram waved and Bright nodded, then Colin closed the door and walked up to his house. Ephram slid over, grateful for the breathing room. Exhausted, his head lolled back against the headrest. Bright smiled,  
  
"Tired?"  
  
Ephram grunted. Bright said,  
  
"Good movie, though."  
  
Ephram grunted again. As they pulled up in front of Ephram's house, Bright put the car in Park and turned to Ephram. He said,  
  
"I just want you to know that I think this'll really work. Tonight was good."  
  
Ephram, with some effort, lifted his head up and looked at Bright.  
  
"You know what, Bright? I think you're right."  
  
With that, Ephram got out of the car, waved to Bright, and Bright drove off.  
  
~~~  
  
"So, how was the movie?"  
  
Ephram looked at Amy over his Manga and tilted his head to the side. He said,  
  
"It was good. How was your weekend?"  
  
Amy smiled weakly and sat down next to Ephram on his bed. She said,  
  
"Okay, I guess. I'm not getting to spend much time with Colin lately. Or you, for that matter."  
  
Ephram rolled his eyes,  
  
"I thought we got past this, Amy. Colin's back. There's no need for us to pretend anymore, okay? Go back to your perfect little life and I'll just.stay out of it."  
  
Ephram went back to his Manga and Amy scowled,  
  
"Ephram.I never.we didn't.you didn't.pretend, did you?" Ephram looked up and Amy said, "didn't pretend to be my friend?"  
  
Ephram sighed and put his magazine on his nightstand. He turned to Amy and said,  
  
"Amy, you know better than that. I did not pretend anything. And I don't believe you're really as dense as you are acting right now."  
  
"Ouch."  
  
"Amy, don't you realize what you did? How you used me?"  
  
Suddenly, tears sprang to Amy's eyes. She stammered,  
  
"What? U.used you? I never-"  
  
Ephram interrupted,  
  
"Amy! You don't have to hide it anymore. I was an in. if you befriended me, you could get my dad's help. You made it pretty clear from the start that you knew about my dad and that you needed his help for Colin."  
  
One tear had escaped before Amy's hurt turned to anger. She stood up, raging,  
  
"Ephram! How dare you say that! I would never use you for anything! So I was talkative! I ramble when I'm nervous! That's all I knew about you! What else could I say? Jeez! I can't believe you'd think so little of me. I can't believe that I-"  
  
Amy was interrupted by 2 voices calling from the hall,  
  
"Ephram!" and "Where are you, E?" suddenly, Bright and Colin burst into Ephram's room. They stopped short when they saw Amy, her cheeks flushed, slightly out of breath. Amy glared once at Ephram, then grabbed her bag and stormed out of the room. Ephram called out,  
  
"Amy! Amy, wait! Come back!"  
  
She didn't come back. Colin and Bright looked at Ephram, eyebrows raised. Ephram shook his head and stood up. He said, sticking his hands in his pockets,  
  
"What's up?"  
  
Colin and Bright glanced at each other and smiled. They said in unison,  
  
"Come with us."  
  
~~~  
  
Ephram looked around, a smile touching his lips. They were at the tip of a valley. Everything was white, covered in glistening snow. Fir trees were all over, the snow caught in the branches, disguising their rich greenness. A frozen river was nestled in between the walls of the valley at the bottom. Ephram spotted a bench, snow heaped on the seat, a few feet away. He looked back at Colin and Bright. They were looking at him expectantly. He smiled at them and said,  
  
"It's incredible up here."  
  
Colin grinned,  
  
"Feel very special, E. this was Bright and my private spot. Now.it's my, Bright, and your private spot."  
  
Ephram's grin faded and he looked from Bright to Colin, then back to Bright, searching for any hints of disapproval from Bright. He found none. His grin returned. Bright said, walking up to stand beside Ephram,  
  
"In the spring, everything blooms again. There are deer everywhere, flowers, birds, rabbits; the river starts to thaw. In the summer, the river is running again. Colin and I bought some wood and Colin's dad helped us build a little pier down the mountain. There's a trail that my truck can take down there. We swim, fish, just hang out.it's our escape. And in the fall.all of the other trees that aren't firs turn orange, red, brown, yellow. They lose their leaves towards the end, but in the process, it's."  
  
Colin stepped in,  
  
"Breathtaking."  
  
Ephram smiled widely and looked up at Bright, then back at Colin. Suddenly, Colin glanced at his watch. He cursed and said,  
  
"I've gotta go. I told Amy we could catch a movie or something. I'll see you guys later."  
  
Colin turned, grabbing his bike from the back of Bright's truck, heading back towards town. Ephram turned to Bright and said,  
  
"So, do you ever ice-skate down there?"  
  
Bright peered over the ridge and said,  
  
"Naw. We never tried it."  
  
Ephram grinned devilishly,  
  
"Want to?"  
  
Bright looked at Ephram, the wicked smile, then grinned back,  
  
"Yeah. Let's go."  
  
"Wow."  
  
Ephram craned his neck up, trying to see the spot they had just been at minutes before. The view was totally different from the bottom. The frozen river stretched as far as the eye could see to the right, but curved out of sight to the left. Bright laughed at the awe in that one word Ephram had uttered under his breath. Bright walked out on the pier. It was a bit shaky looking, but it was acctually extremely sturdy. Hesitantly, Ephram joined Bright on the pier. He said, glancing out over the river,  
  
"Looks like it's frozen clear through."  
  
Bright nodded, then walked backwards a few steps and picked up a rock. He hurled it towards the ice. When the rock hit the ice, it just skidded along the surface until it hit the other bank. Satisfied, Bright began to step off the pier. Ephram watched as Bright settled both feet on the ice. Suddenly, Bright lost his balance and landed on his butt on the ice. Ephram hadn't realized he had been holding his breath until his lungs started to burn. He drew in a breath of relief when the ice didn't crack. Bright was laughing hysterically. Ephram smiled, then joined Bright on the ice. He bent to help Bright up. Bright placed his hand in Ephram's, and Ephram tugged, trying to help Bright stand. Bright was a teeny bit too heavy for Ephram and before he realized what had happened, Ephram had slipped and landed on top of Bright. Bright laughed again, but Ephram groaned slightly. He said,  
  
"Oh god, sorry, man. I think.I twisted my ankle."  
  
Frowning, Bright sat up, Ephram rolling off of him. Ephram was lying on his back on the ice, looking up at the sky, one hand clutching the ankle of his drawn-up leg. Bright said,  
  
"You okay, Eph?"  
  
Ephram glanced at Bright and shot him a brief smile,  
  
"Yeah. I'm content to just lay here, though."  
  
Bright grinned and stood up.  
  
"Too bad."  
  
He reached down and hauled Ephram to his feet. Ephram winced a little, but the pain in his ankle evaporated after a minute. He straightened and looked at Bright. He said,  
  
"So."  
  
Bright responded,  
  
"So." He paused, then looked around. "Let's 'skate', Ephram."  
  
Ephram rolled his eyes and pointed to his feet,  
  
"Duh, Bright. No skates."  
  
Bright rolled his eyes in return and said,  
  
"Where's your sense of adventure, Brown?"  
  
Ephram sighed and said,  
  
"Fine. We'll, "he did the little quote signs with his fingers, ".'skate'. Let's go. Let's see what you got, Abbot."  
  
Bright laughed,  
  
"What I got. Hmm."  
  
Bright pushed off, sliding around on the soles of his shoes. He slid up to Ephram and said,  
  
"Ice hockey. 3 years."  
  
Ephram laughed,  
  
"Teaching Delia how to ice-skate, 4 years. Living in freezing New York, 15 years."  
  
Bright rolled his eyes and said,  
  
"Bring it."  
  
Ephram laughed,  
  
"No. No you did not just say 'Bring it'. Tell me you did not just say 'Bring it." Please."  
  
Bright shrugged and slid away from Ephram. Ephram slid after Bright. They slipped and slid around the river for the better part of an hour before, not looking where they were going, they ran straight into each other.  
  
They landed in a tangle of limbs, laughing hard. Ephram ended up, once again, on top of Bright. He looked down at Bright, who was laughing up at Ephram, and for a moment time seemed to slow down. Stand still. Ephram felt warmth spread threw him as Bright's laughter faded and a change came over his features. Suddenly, with out any explanation as to why he did it, Ephram leaned his head down, closed his eyes, and pressed his lips to Bright's. He pulled back, his eyes flew open and met Bright's wide eyes. He watched Bright's tongue flick out and touch his bottom lip. With a low half- moan, Ephram leaned forwards and captured Bright lips again. Bright strained his head forwards, trying to press his lips more firmly against Ephram's. His arms came around Ephram's shoulders, clutching his tightly, and his lips parted under Ephram's. Ephram didn't know where this was coming from, but he wasn't going to fight it. Didn't have the strength to. Bright tasted of mint from the gum Bright had been chewing, along with the underlying flavor of the pizza and Mountain Dew they had gotten for lunch. Ephram found the combination intoxicating. His tongue battled with Bright's. A battle for control over the kiss. Suddenly, Ephram found himself on his back, with Bright hovering over him. Bright was panting softly, just gazing at Ephram. Then, he pressed his lips back to Ephram's.  
  
They had no idea how long they'd been down there. All they knew was that it was starting to get a little dark when they went back to the car. Ephram's back was wet from where their body heat had begun to melt the ice beneath him and his pants felt a little bit tight. Blushing slightly, Ephram wondered if Bright had been affected the same way. Judging from the way Bright was walking.Ephram thought so.  
  
When they got back into town, Bright dropped Ephram off at his house. As Ephram got out of the truck, Bright reached out a grabbed Ephram's wrist. He said,  
  
"Meet me at the park tonight around 8."  
  
Ephram nodded, then turned and walked away.  
  
Ephram walked into the park, cautiously looking around for any sign of Bright. It was 8:05. As Ephram walked past a shadowed bench, someone grabbed him and pulled his down. With a yelp, Ephram landed on someone's lap. He looked to see who had grabbed him and relaxed to find that it was Bright. He smiled as Bright grabbed Ephram's face in his hands and pulled him forwards to meet his lips hungrily. Bright turned Ephram around so he was straddling Bright. Ephram's knees were drawn up, his shins pressed against the back of the bench. Ephram hadn't known he could be so flexible. His knees were practically in his armpits. At that random thought, Ephram started to laugh. Bright pushed Ephram back a little and said,  
  
"What's so funny."  
  
Ephram shook his head and instead of voicing his thought, said,  
  
"It's just a little ironic."  
  
Bright smiled a bit, then shrugged and leaned forwards to capture Ephram's lips again. Ephram slumped against Bright's chest and drew his arms around Bright's neck. In turn, Bright tightened his grip around Ephram's rib cage. This drew Ephram even closer and Bright gasped into Ephram's mouth when Ephram brushed up against Bright's crotch. On instinct, Bright lifted his hips a bit to increase the slight pressure. He felt a moan reverberate through Ephram's body, felt it expelled into his mouth. Ephram pressed down so his own cock pressed against Bright's. Bright tore his mouth away from Ephram's and sat, gasping for breath. Ephram buried his head in the crook of Bright's neck. Bright smiled at the gesture and turned his head, catching a faint whiff of Ephram's hair. He let out an appreciative hum and nuzzled Ephram's neck. Ephram whimpered as the motion lifted Bright's hips a little, increasing the pressure unintentionally. Bright's smile widened, then faded when Ephram pressed down again. Bright groaned, clenching his jaw, trying to curb his instincts. He began to set Ephram away from himself, but Ephram spiraled his hips downwards and all thoughts flew from Bright's mind. Instead, he felt himself sweep his hands down to clutch Ephram's hips, making sure he didn't pull back. Bright pushed up a little and felt Ephram's labored breathing against his ear. Bright's own breathing was erratic. Suddenly, Bright was aware of Ephram wiggling his hips, trying to loosen Bright's grip so he could do *something*. Bright obliged and was rewarded when Ephram shifted closer, bringing his full length up against Bright's. their breathing became impossibly shallower as Ephram pushed down and, in turn, Bright pushed up. They set a rhythm and a few moments later, Bright turned his head to capture Ephram's lips, masking the noises they made when they came.  
  
Ephram's chest was heaving and his pants were sticky. He pulled away from Bright and stood up. Bright looked.well, like he just came. With a little laugh, Ephram leaned down and pressed his lips lightly to Bright's. Just as he turned to walk away, Bright caught his hand. Ephram turned around as Bright stood p and drew him into his arms. After bright kissed him, long and thorough, he murmured to Ephram,  
  
"Tomorrow night. same time, same place."  
  
Ephram nodded, then turned and walked away. Bright stared after him, until he could no longer see Ephram's retreating figure. Then, buttoning his coat, Bright turned towards home.  
  
A few minutes from home, Bright heard rapid footsteps behind him. He turned and gasped as he saw Ephram running towards him. Ephram skidded to halt inches from Bright and, panting, grabbed Bright's arms, then stood on tiptoe and kissed Bright. When Ephram pulled away, Bright felt warm inside. His heart felt like it had expanded and he was sure that it was beating a tattoo on his chest. Suddenly, Bright murmured,  
  
"I love you."  
  
A bit stunned, Bright's hand flew to him mouth. Ephram's eyes were wide with shock, but the corner of his mouth twitched. He said softly,  
  
"Well, whadaya know." Bright was beet red and he turned to leave, when Ephram called out,  
  
"I love you, too!"  
  
Bright froze, then turned around slowly. He stared at Ephram for a minute, then slowly Ephram walked towards Bright. He stopped in front on Bright and a smile spread over Bright's face. Suddenly, Ephram was wrapped in Bright's arms, his feet dangling about 2 feet off the ground, and Bright's lips were pressed to him enthusiastically. Laughing, Ephram threw his arms around Bright's neck and returned the kiss under the beam from the streetlights.  
  
Ephram knew that, for now, Everwood was as close to home as he was going to get. And he accepted it. 


End file.
